There are a variety of vehicles that allow donors to choose the most advantageous way of giving to DVGRR. A contribution may be made most simply by making a cash gift directly to DVGRR. You may also make a charitable donation as part of your overall lifetime or testamentary plans, often referred to as “legacy” or “planned” giving. Planned and deferred giving allow a donor to make a gift commitment to DVGRR but to delay delivery of the final benefit of the gift until a later time. A planned gift may be made by making a bequest under a last will and testament or revocable “living” trust, or naming DVGRR as the beneficiary of life insurance proceeds or of any assets remaining in your Individual Retirement Account or any other retirement plan account at the time of your death. Some types of planned gifts, such as charitable remainder trusts and gift annuities, result in lifetime incomes for you, as the donor, and/or other beneficiaries. Donors who make planned and deferred gifts may receive income, estate or gift tax benefits for such gift. Below is a quick summary of the different ways that you can make a meaningful gift to DVGRR.
No matter how you structure your gift, you will be leaving a meaningful legacy and one that represents a cause that is important to you. Your love and care for this very special population can live on well into the future.
Charitable Bequests
Your last will and testament is the document through which you may pass on your legacy to family, friends, and charitable organizations that you support. You may make a bequest to DVGRR by directing in your will and/or your revocable living trust that certain assets be transferred to DVGRR after your death. You can structure the bequest to be a specified sum of money (e.g., I leave $20,000 to DVGRR), a percentage of your estate (e.g., I leave 20% of my assets to DVGRR), a residuary gift paid after other bequests are made (e.g., I give all the rest, residue, and remainder of my real and personal estate to DVGRR), or as a contingent bequest that is fulfilled if certain conditions are met.
During your lifetime, such assets will continue to remain in your control, and you may also modify the bequest to address changing circumstances during your lifetime. Although no lifetime income tax deduction is available for the bequest, your estate will receive an unlimited estate tax charitable deduction for the bequest to DVGRR. We encourage you to discuss your estate plans with your attorney or tax advisor, but please feel free to contact Inza Adams, Development & Donor Engagement Manager for suggested language to use as part of your testamentary plan.
Other Planned Giving
You may also consider a gift of your retirement assets such as your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension, or other tax-deferred plan. As a nonprofit, DVGRR will not be required to pay income tax on the gift, nor will it be subject to estate tax.
Additionally, you may name DVGRR as a beneficiary on a life insurance policy, either as a primary or contingent beneficiary. In the case of both retirement accounts and life insurance policies, monies can transfer directly to DVGRR when DVGRR is named as the beneficiary. Please contact Inza Adams, Development & Donor Engagement Manager to discuss either of these options.
Lifetime Gifts
DVGRR welcomes gifts in the form of cash, checks, or publicly traded securities. Checks should be made payable to DELAWARE VALLEY GOLDEN RETRIEVER RESCUE. A pledge of cash may be payable in a single payment or over a period of up to five (5) years.
DVGRR may also welcome gifts of real estate, interests in other entities, as well as certain types of tangible personal property. You may also wish to consider making a gift of appreciated securities to DVGRR, which may allow you to obtain a charitable income tax deduction for the fair market value of the gift but, more importantly, avoids capital gains on the appreciation of the security. Such gifts are considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Inza Adams, Development & Donor Engagement Manager if you would like to explore such gifts.
Donor Recognition
DVGRR has implemented procedures to acknowledge gifts that have been established in order to promptly thank donors and to provide proper recording of the gift. When gifts are made, DVGRR will process the gift and ensure proper tax receipting for you. Special event sponsors and donors will be thanked in the format established for the specific event supported. DVGRR is committed to respecting the privacy of all donors. The request of donors wishing to remain anonymous will be honored.
The Care of Your Dog
No one wants to think about the inevitable; however, proper planning may provide you with peace of mind regarding the future care of your dog(s). Many people fail to make plans for their dog in the event the dog outlives them. If you want DVGRR to care for your dog(s) when the time comes, please make a record of this request in your will or other testamentary documents, and/or with your family and counsel. You may also wish to express your desires regarding whether your dog should remain in the care of DVGRR or be adopted by another loving family. If you choose the latter, please specify the type of family (e.g., demographics close to your own) with whom you want your dog placed. Taking this important step helps ensure that your dog will continue to live based on your personal preferences.
We certainly hope you will be able to allow your love and support for DVGRR dogs in need to continue. Making a lifetime or testamentary gift to DVGRR is a wonderful and beneficial way to let your Golden love live on. Please contact Inza Adams, Development & Donor Engagement Manager for more detailed information about charitable giving opportunities or any other questions you may have including our tax ID number.
In all cases, please consult a personal attorney or financial/tax advisor to determine the current or deferred income, gift, estate and other tax consequences of your potential gift.